Hope in the Midst of Darkness

October 27, 2019 Joel 2:23-32 Hope in the midst of Darkness 20th Sunday After Pentecost Year C Children’s sermon: Who knows what they want to be when they grow up. Have hopes for the future. Everything starts in life with a dream, a hope. Living with that hope helps us inspires us. Dreams- do all we can to make dreams come true – your future is our future. What does the future look like and what do today to make it happen…. Stewardship moment: If you could make the world a better place to live, what would you do? If you could make this town a better place what would you do? If you could make this community the perfect place to be- where everyone would be happy with life what would you do? Our theme for today is visions and dreams. Visions of a better time. God has a dream to fulfiil, but so do we. We come together to dream of a better world, to have hope that it is not just a dream – if we work together to make it a reality. Dream of an open community all feel welcome all touched, all healed, all return to be a part. Chances in prayer, praise in fellowship in working toward that. Also have a chance to give of our hearts, to know that God shares our concerns shares our dreams. WOrk together and give together – live in that vision, power to spread in our giving. Joel 2:23-32 Common English Bible (CEB) 23 Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the LORD your God, because he will give you the early rain as a sign of righteousness; he will pour down abundant rain for you, the early and the late rain, as before.[a] 24 The threshing floors will be full of grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil. 25 I will repay you for the years that the cutting locust, the swarming locust, the hopping locust, and the devouring locust have eaten— my great army, which I sent against you. 26 You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has done wonders for you; and my people will never again be put to shame. 27 You will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God—no other exists; never again will my people be put to shame. 28 After that I will pour out my spirit upon everyone; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days, I will also pour out my spirit on the male and female slaves. 30 I will give signs in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 32 But everyone who calls on the LORD’s name will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be security, as the LORD has promised; and in Jerusalem, the LORD will summon those who survive. Footnotes: a. Joel 2:23 Or at the first Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible If you were to ask me, I am always going to say that summer is my favorite time of year. I love the hot weather, the bright sunshine, the long hours of the day. Life is always better for me in the summertime. I am a late summer baby, so that is when life is good. But I gotta say that there is something magical about the fall. Every year, my spirit looks forward to the cooler weather, the changing of the leaves, the wind blowing and signaling that things are about to change. Yesterday, was an absolutely glorious day, as I watched the wind blow and the autumn rain fall. It is days like that that tell my spirit that it is time to get ready for a change. Officially it is the time of year, that when I come home from work or errands, I can just relax and put on my pajamas. Because I am in for the day- I am not coming back out. It is the time of year where you switch from outdoor activities to inside. Where you stop eating the light salads and get ready for soup. Where you switch from summer clothes to socks and shoes and sweaters. Autumn is just a magical season. I can see why the prophet Joel would speak of the presence of God as Autumn rain. Traditionally, the wind and the rain are sure signs of God’s presence. We don’t know much about who Joel was. It was thought that he must have been a priest in the temple. We do know that he was speaking to an agricultural people, who thought of all of life according to the planting season. That paid attention to the messages of the wind and the rain. Being that this is a warm climate, they had two planting seasons. One in the spring, with a big harvest in the fall. Also one in the fall. They always welcomed the autumn rain, because it helped the crops grow. They were very aware that each season was different. That each season bought challenges, and that some challenges were harder than others. This last season had been particularly difficult. As a matter of fact, difficult only scratched the surface of what this season was for them. The locust came out of the middle of nowhere and just ate everything. They ate all of the crops in the field before they could even grow. They came into the houses and the businesses, they were in the streets, they were relentless and took everything. Not only was this a personal loss for the farmers and their families, it was a loss for the whole community. As a people they had lost everything. Many had stopped going to the temple to pray a long time ago. But after this, that is all that they could do, was gather, pray, reach out to others, and to look together as a community about what to do next. How to make meaning of this, and to move forward. There is a saying, that what does not kill you – will make you stronger. It is supposed to be a positive statement of growth. Unless you are actually in a situation, where you have lost everything and you are not so sure that you are going to survive the devastation. Locust can come to us in many ways in family issues, in health issues, in financial issues, in relationship issues, in the lives of our children. And the locust can take everything. When Frank and Karen got home from their Bible study at church, there were two messages waiting for them on their telephone answering machine. Both messages were bad news. One call was from Ted, one of Frank's friends at work. Ted had received tragic news about a death. The other call was from Paula, one of Karen's friends from her aerobics class. Paula had received tragic news from her doctor. Neither Ted nor Paula were actively involved in a church. In the past, Frank had invited Ted to church and Bible study, and Karen had invited Paula, but both Ted and Paula had declined the invitations. Neither of them thought about God very much -- at least, not until tonight. Now, God was suddenly very much on both Ted's and Paula's minds. Neither of them knew of a pastor to call, so Ted had called Frank and Paula had called Karen. Both phone calls were desperate pleas for help. Ted's message was first. "Frank, this is Ted from the office. I'm sorry to bother you like this, but my wife and I got a phone call this evening." Ted's voice began to break up. "Our son, who lives in Germany, was killed in a car wreck." There was a long pause before he could continue. "I just don't know what to do. I don't know what to think." There was another pause and the sound of muffled sobs. Ted continued, "Frank, I know you are always reading the Bible and all that. I thought maybe I could talk to you. I hope it's okay for me to be calling you like this, Frank, I just don't know what's happening. Why would God let something like this happen? What is God doing?" There was another pause while Ted tried to collect himself. "I guess I've changed my mind about reading the Bible with you. If you could come over for a little bit, I'd sure appreciate it. We couldn't get a flight until tomorrow morning, so I'll be at home all night. If you can, please bring your Bible and come over." There was a beep and Paula's message followed on the tape. She was sobbing. "Karen, this is Paula. Oh God, I wish you were there. I hate talking to these machines. Karen, I really need to talk to you. I didn't tell you yesterday at class, but my doctor was running some tests on me because she suspected a problem." Paula began to sob harder. "Karen, I just found out that I've got bone cancer. It's bad." There was a pause while Paula tried to collect herself. "I didn't know who else to call. I'm so scared. I need some help here, Karen. I know we don't really know each other that well, but you're the only person I know who even talks about God. Karen, I don't know what's going on. Why is this happening to me? What is God doing?" Paula took a deep breath. "I really hate these machines. God, I wish you were there. Please call me when you get in. Better yet, come over if you can. Please." Both Frank and Karen picked up their Bibles again and headed back out the door. It was a bad time for each of their friends. With Bibles in hand, Frank and Karen set out in different directions to try to answer the same question. In the midst of their respective suffering and confusion, both Ted and Paula had asked the same question: "What is God doing?" When Frank reached Ted's house, Ted was alone. His wife had gone over to her sister's house. The two men sat at the kitchen table to talk. After they had talked for a while, Ted looked down at Frank's Bible lying on the table. Ted knew that Frank had been to his Bible study that evening. He asked Frank, "What did you study about tonight?" Then, he added with a hopeful tone, "Was it anything that applies to me?" Frank said, "Our church group has been studying the Old Testament prophets. This evening we looked at the book of Joel." Frank gazed down at the Bible in front of him and thought for a moment. Then, looking up at Ted, he said, "Joel is probably a good book for you right now. It talks about why bad things happen and what God wants people to do." Ted listened as Frank described the events recorded by the prophet Joel. Frank explained that there was a terrible plague of locusts that swept across the land of Israel. The locusts came in wave after wave after wave. All the crops were destroyed and the people had nothing to eat. They were devastated. It was a very bad time for them. The prophet told the people that the terrible thing that had happened was not just a coincidence. The locusts were God's army and they were sent because the people were not worshipping properly. They had turned away from God. The prophet told the elders and all the inhabitants of the land that they must fast and cry out to God. The prophet said, "Return to the Lord, your God." The people listened to what the prophet was telling them and they prayed to God. God then answered their prayer and blessed them. Frank looked at Ted and said, "Think of your son's death like the locust plague. Even though it is devastating, you can see that, in a way, it is a good thing. God is using it as a way to get your attention -- a way of letting you know that you have not been worshipping properly. Just like in the book of Joel, God is giving you a message. It's the same message: 'Return to the Lord, your God.' You wanted to know what God is doing. That is what God is doing." Frank was just about to ask Ted if he wanted to pray, but he saw that Ted was standing up. As Frank looked, he saw that Ted was trembling. Frank could not tell if he was trembling with anger or illness. Actually, it was a combination. Ted spoke slowly in a very restrained voice, "Frank, I know I asked you to come over here, but now I am going to have to ask you to leave. I cannot listen to any more of this. You're telling me that the Bible says God intentionally took my son's life in order to punish me? If I were to believe that what you are saying is true, I would die myself from despair. But before I did, I would use my last breath to curse a God who would do such a thing! Please go now. Please leave and take your Bible and your God with you!" When Frank had gone, Ted sat at the table with his head in his hands. He cried long into the night. He felt so alone in his pain. There was an aching emptiness deep within him. He had hoped that somewhere there was a God who could fill that emptiness. Ted knew now that that would never happen. Meanwhile, in another part of town, Karen arrived at Paula's house. Paula was also alone. She was divorced and had no children. At first, Karen just held her friend and let her cry. Eventually Paula stopped crying and the two women went into the kitchen and made some coffee. As they sat at the kitchen table, Paula looked at Karen and said, "Please tell me. What is God doing?" Karen had, of course, attended the same Bible study that evening as her husband. Like Frank, Karen's mind jumped immediately to the book of Joel. After thinking for a moment, Karen, just as her husband Frank had done with Ted, decided that the message from the prophet Joel was a good way to explain to her devastated friend what God was doing. Karen opened her Bible. She told Paula that the prophet begins by describing a great plague of locusts. Karen said that the reason for beginning with the devastation of the locusts and famine was to show that no matter how great a problem is, God is greater still. Karen and Paula began to read together at the verse in Joel that begins today's Old Testament lesson. In the midst of the devastation that has passed through the land, God tells the people to "be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God" (2:23). Karen said there was reason to rejoice because of the promises that God made to the people. First, God promised that there would be plenty of rain so that "the threshing floors would be full of grain," and the vats for the wine and oil would "overflow" (2:24). Before, the locusts had been eating everything. Now the focus is on the people eating from the abundance of what God will provide. God promises to meet the people's needs in the midst of their devastation. Karen read the next verse. God says, "I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten" (2:25). Karen remembered what she had learned in the Bible study earlier that night. Karen explained to Paula how, in Hebrew, the word for "repay" used here also has the meaning of "healing" or "making whole." God is sensitive to the total loss that the people have experienced. God knows that the ordeal has left psychological scars far deeper than only the direct effects of the famine. There is a God who thoroughly understands people's pain. The two women continued reading. God says, "I will pour my spirit on all flesh" (2:28). Karen explained that before this time God's spirit had only come to a select few -- special leaders and some prophets. Moses had said that he wished "that all the Lord's people were prophets, and the Lord would put his spirit on them!" (Numbers 11:29). Now it was happening, everyone received the spirit -- old and young, the men and the women, the slaves and the free. Karen looked up at Paula and said, "Actually, God was talking only about the Hebrew people. It was their sons and their daughters referred to here. But later on, on the day of Pentecost, Peter quotes these very verses as the spirit of Christ was poured out on all people indiscriminately." Karen smiled at her friend, "You and I are included in this." Karen said, "The same God who made all these promises to a people who were in the middle of a very bad time, is the same God who is with you now in your pain and suffering. God is in the midst of those who suffer. God promises not to leave you alone." After they had talked a bit more, Karen gave Paula another hug and went home. Even after Karen had gone, Paula found herself crying softly to herself. Her tears were different than the tears that Ted was crying across town. Paula's tears were tears of joy. She was still afraid, but she no longer felt so alone. Deep within her an empty space had been filled by a gracious, loving and understanding God. It was a God she had met in the book of Joel. Obviously Karen's visit had a happier ending than Frank's, but who was right? Both Ted and Paula had a devastating thing happen to them. They each asked what God was doing. Were they, as Frank had suggested, receiving God's punishment for what they had done? Or were they, as Karen had suggested, receiving God's presence for what they were going through? Both Frank and Karen were basing their statements on scripture. In fact, they were quoting from the same book. Who was right? The lesson for us, is that no matter how dark things get in our life, and things can get pretty dark. God cares about us. God has no intention for death to be the final word in our life. Lessons like this in the Hebrew bible, have an important message for us as Christians. Life is hard, dark days come. Devastation comes. Sometimes the problems are beyond our control, sometimes they are the consequences of our own actions. What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. But hope is only for those who intend to survive until tomorrow. The last words of this scripture say – The Lord will call on those who survive. Jeremiah is even more explicit- that not everyone will understand or get through the tribulation. Only a remnmant will remaing faithful, and that God will move the nation through that remnant. God’s word of hope is for those who stand strong and survive to see the rain, take away the devastation. For those who stand strong – the spirit will come and truly make a difference. The rain will pour out on all flesh – the young, old, male female. Through visions, dreams and prophecy will see hope turn into reality. The visions are about a collective hope. For us who gather and look to God – God has only one word – redemption. Things get better when we work together on fulfilling God’s dream. From Old testament times to now, as history unfolds – we can see God bringing us back to a relationship with him. The old testament always speaks of a future where they will be no more tribulations – if we are faithful we will see that day, but hope starts today in our present situation. The story continues with Jesus coming into the world and teaching us more. But it comes today. With the coming of the autumn rain – bringing our attention to God’s presence in our lives and in our situations. It continues in our dreams. Business executive Robert E. Greenleaf in his provocative book, Servant Leadership, has a lot to say about goal-setting. He is convinced that the church cannot grow and flourish unless it is caught up in an all-consuming purpose. A growing-edge church constantly looks ahead to the future. In his own words: “Someone in the church must paint the dream. For anything to happen there must be a dream. And for anything great to happen there must be a great dream.”4 Who is going to paint the dream in your church? A pastor known for his pulpit prayers always found something to thank God for, even in troubled times. On one dark stormy day when he had experienced some personal tragedy in his own life, his members said: "Surely the Pastor will have nothing to thank God for on a morning like this." But as the preacher began his prayer, he said: "Lord, we know that this is a dreary morning. But, Lord, let us learn from our troubles and be reminded that it has not always been like this. You have given us days of sunshine. And we have enough faith to thank you ahead of time that it will not always be like this in the future. By your grace we believe that there is a bright side somewhere and the sun will shine again. We believe that new life is possible and you have the future in your hand. We believe your grace has brought us safe thus far, and we believe your grace will lead us home." Our prayer is our dream…let us pray… Amen.